This Girl Can celebrates its fifth year with an inspirational campaign to break down more barriers

This Girl Can is back for 2020, as Sport England continues its mission to encourage more women to exercise and get fit. But this time, it’s about overcoming the barriers that might prevent us from putting on our trainers.

Yes, they’re still celebrating women of all shapes, sizes, abilities and backgrounds. But this year, Me Again also addresses important topics – from menopause to support networks to disability and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

For example, Kirsti, a mother of three, finds time to be herself by playing netball regularly and is partly able to do so because of the support of her partner and the people around her; Hannah has come to feel more comfortable with her body and care less about other’s judgements by using exercise to help manage menstrual pains, and Glynnis has been able to rediscover her love of swimming and build up her self-confidence in the pool thanks to facilities and family members who support and cheer her on.

Directed by Ali Kurr, the spot features the distinctive vocals of British rapper, Little Simz’s Offence track to reinforce that it really is time women stopped having to feel judged, defined by society and told what to do. “It’s 2020, and women can be active however they want to be,” says Sport England.

Chief Executive Tim Hollingsworth told us: “When This Girl Can launched it was considered trailblazing for the way it showed women getting active in a raw and real way. And while marketing campaigns for sport and physical activity are far more diverse and relatable now, there’s still a long way to go before they are reflecting the reality of people’s lives.

“With the new campaign, we’re showing topics that are part of the everyday for women – challenges they can relate to. We’ve seen the powerful effect this can have in giving women more confidence with previous campaigns and will continue to advocate for better provision and share insight with the sport and physical activity sector on how to address the gender gap.”